The Witnesses
by goblz
Summary: Re-written! First in the trilogy. Shawn and Belle accidentally witness a murder. When the murderer tries to silence them can they be protected?
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Ken Corday and to NBC. I am making no profits by writing this.**

**A/N: This is a rewrite of the first part in a trilogy. I took down all three stories because I was incredibly unsatisfied with them and I felt I could do better. So here I am trying! =) You should note that this takes place when the teens are still in high school. Philip and Chloe are together, Brady and Marlena don't get along, and JT still lives with the Brady's. I cut out the baby-switch storyline because I didn't want to deal with it. Please let me know what you think!!**

**Chapter One**

Brady Black stood on the balcony that overlooked the living room in the penthouse he lived in with his father, stepmother, and younger half-sister, watching the scene downstairs unfold in front of him. Standing by the coffee table between the two sofas, John and Marlena Black were yelling at each other like the other had committed the worst folly in the world. Brady frowned, knowing he was the cause of their fight, but could not help but feel the resentment in his heart build up against his stepmother.

"Just you wait and see, John. One of these days, I am telling you, something will happen to Belle and you will wish that you had listened to me!" Marlena shrieked.

"Brady is not a threat to Belle! Why can't you see how much he loves her? Or how close the two of them are?" John snapped back, his face red with fury. "You refuse to listen to reason when it comes to my son."

"John, your son has some serious issues and more than once Belle has gotten caught up in them! You are the one who wears blinders on your eyes, not me."

As Marlena turned towards the stairs, Brady quietly slipped back into his bedroom. When he heard the door to her room slam shut, he headed downstairs to talk to his father.

John Black was sitting on the couch holding his head in his hands. The situation between his wife and son was only getting worse. He had hoped that Marlena would see reason, or that Brady would show her that he was not a danger to anybody. But the two felt so antagonistic towards each other that neither wanted to cut the other any slack. Far too often John felt caught in the middle, and he knew his daughter Belle did, too.

"Dad?" Brady's unusually timid voice caught his attention and he looked up to see his son standing in front of him, a huge frown on his face. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure, Brady, sit down." John waited as Brady took a seat on the couch facing him. He inwardly cringed as he realized that Brady had again heard himself and Marlena fighting about him.

"Dad, I think I should move out," Brady stated simply, catching his father off guard. John leaned forward and made to protest but Brady cut him off. "Dad, before you say anything, just listen. Things are not going to get better with Marlena and me as long as we live under the same roof. The tension is just too high, and I need some space from her, Dad. I'm sure she wants space from me, too. The situation is getting worse and you know it. This is really the only solution that has a chance of working at all."

John hesitated, considering his son's words. Brady was 21 now, definitely old enough to be living on his own and taking care of himself. Truth be told, however, John did not want his son to move out. He knew just how bad things were between Brady and Marlena; he feared that if Brady moved out he would never hear from the young man again. He could not face losing his son that way.

"Brady… Listen to me, son, if you just give her a little bit of time I know she will come around." John desperately wanted his son to listen to reason and agree to stay.

"How much time, Dad? A year? Twenty years? I've already waited too long. I'll tell you the truth, Dad, it really hurts hearing all those accusations she makes against me, and I don't know how much longer I can take it."

"Brady, moving out is expensive. Do you realize how much money it will cost you?"

"Dad, I have a job, remember? I work for you at Basic Black! I know you pay me enough money for me to be able to handle living on my own. Money is not an issue here, Dad."

John paused, wondering if he should say what he was thinking. Making up his mind, the older man spoke. "Brady, I'm afraid that if you go, I'll lose you."

Brady leaned forward, and John could see all the love in his eyes shining through. John smiled at him, grateful to see such love because usually Brady wore an emotionless mask.

"Dad," Brady said softly. "Dad, I love you and Belle more than anything in this world. You can't get rid of me that easily." His tone becoming firmer, he continued. "Trust me, you will lose me faster if I stay here."

John nodded hesitantly, finally having to accept that Brady was right. It was best for the entire family for Brady to get his own apartment. Hopefully, Marlena and Brady would be able to put their issues to rest and their family would finally be put back on track.

***

Belle Black sighed with disgust as she entered the Brady Pub, where she was meeting her three closest friends. The three were already there, sitting at a table waiting for her, and two of them, Chloe Lane and Philip Kiriakis, were locking lips. The third member of the party, Shawn Brady, was looking incredibly uncomfortable. Belle knew he would be grateful she was there, and a small smile at the thought played on her lips.

"Get a room already," Belle interrupted the couple as she took a seat between Shawn and Philip. Chloe and Philip parted, looking only slightly embarrassed, and greeted her.

"Guys, I think it's great that you two are so close and everything, but no one wants to see it. Seriously," Belle lectured, only half teasing. Chloe just smiled. Philip and Shawn immediately got into a discussion about their high school football team, so Belle and Chloe went to the bar to order their food.

"So, what is the deal with you and Shawn anyway?" Chloe asked as they were handed their milkshakes.

"What do you mean?" the shorter of the two replied just before sipping her strawberry shake.

Chloe flipped her long brown hair behind her shoulder. "Come on, as if you don't know. There's a definite attraction between the two of you. Even Philip notices it, so it must be obvious to everyone."

Belle turned to look at Shawn, who was at the moment laughing at a joke Philip had just made. She shrugged, turning back to her impatient friend. "I don't know. I definitely like him as more than friends, but I don't know if he feels that way about me. Besides, it would be weird. We've been friends since we were babies!"

Chloe gave her a look like that was no excuse. Belle knew it wasn't. Truth be told, Belle would love it more than anything if Shawn would ask her out. But he didn't seem to reciprocate her interest in him so she had to accept that he just wanted to be friends. She regarded Chloe for a moment, hoping she hadn't just rubbed it in Chloe's face that she, Shawn, and Philip had all known each other their entire lives. Since Chloe had grown up in foster homes, she never had any friends until she came to Salem to live with her mother and step-father. Chloe never exerted any jealousy over the close bond between the three, but Belle also knew Chloe was a little too good at hiding her feelings and wondered if sometimes Chloe felt a little green-eyed.

Belle opened her mouth to start talking again, but Chloe cut her off. "Belle, if you don't do anything you will wonder for the rest of your life what would have happened."

"Don't start in on me about that, Chloe."

"It's a cliché, I know. But it's also true. Don't let him get away. He's a good-looking guy. He walks into a room and he turns heads." Belle had to admit that was true. Shawn was the most sought-after guy in high school, now that Philip had a girlfriend.

"I'm just not sure if I want something more to happen right now. I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on that we both are dealing with, on top of school and everything. My family is a wreck right now, and they need me. I don't think I'm in the position to get into a relationship. I really am fine with us being friends. Really," Belle assured her.

Chloe looked skeptical. "If you say so," she said with a sly smile that told Belle she clearly knew better.

****

Belle was not prepared for the news that awaited her when she got home later that evening. As she walked in the door, her older half-brother sat on the couch looking through what she at first thought was a magazine.

"Hey, Brady," she announced her presence as she shut the door behind her. He looked up, his face somber, and returned the greeting, but she didn't seem to notice his strange mood. Putting her jacket and purse down, she sat down next to him on the couch. "Whatcha reading?"

Brady hesitated, regarding his sister. She was just about the only person in Salem who liked him right now, aside from their father. She was the heart and soul of the Black family; without a doubt she was the one who kept it together. He knew she would feel hurt by the news that he would move out. Would she be afraid of losing him, the same way his father was? Taking a deep breath, Brady realized that no matter how she reacted, he had to tell her.

"This is an apartment guide."

Belle blinked, taken aback. She looked down at the magazine he held in his hands and realized that it was, as Brady had said, an apartment guide. "Why are you looking at apartment guides, Brady?" she asked, already knowing the answer but hoping her brother would be able to provide some other explanation.

"Belle… I'm moving out," he replied softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. He watched her face register shock and then slowly fade into a look of sadness that made Brady feel awful.

"Why? Why are you moving out? When?"

"Belle, you know why I'm moving out. And as for when, whenever I find an apartment I can afford. I'm hoping it won't be too far away from here, but we'll see."

He cringed as he saw the tears start to form in her eyes. "Hey, don't cry Belle. Like I told Dad, you aren't getting rid of me that easily. It's just time, you know? I can't live here forever. I have to move on sometime. Belle, you're my sister, you know I'll always be there."

"You're moving out because of Mom, aren't you?" the bitterness in her tone could not be hidden. The angry teenager forcefully shoved away the tears that had begun rolling down her cheeks.

"That's part of it," Brady admitted, not wanting to admit that it was actually most of it. "This is just something I have to do, Belle. Besides, if things are ever going to straighten out, it has to be soon, and I can't be living here. Your mom and I just press each other's buttons. We rub up against each other. We both need space from each other."

He set the guide down on the table and pulled his sister into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, remembering all the times he had comforted her when she was upset over stupid, minor things. She had always been able to talk to him about anything, and whether he thought so or not, she knew things were going to change drastically now that he was moving out. And it made her mad that her family was being torn apart this way. 

Neither Brady nor Belle noticed the figure standing on the stairs watching them with a deep frown on her face. Marlena Evans Black was not a happy woman.

TBC

**Another Author's Note: PHEW! I set a 2,000 word limit per chapter for myself, lol. That is very short for some people but for me that is long because I have a bad habit of incredibly short chapters!! So not only have I challenged myself to a re-write but I am challenging myself to write much longer chapters. That isn't always easy, wish me luck lol. As always, if you read this then please review!! I really want to know what you think.**


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: This isn't beta'ed, because I don't have anyone to beta for me for DAYS. E-mail me if you're interested though, LOL.**

Chapter Two 

Two weeks passed since Brady moved out of the penthouse, and the three remaining Blacks all felt the change. The tension in the air was lifted, the house was quiet, and there was one less person drinking the orange juice from the refrigerator. For Marlena, she felt like nearly all her problems had been solved, and the relief she felt was tremendous. For John, he felt like he had let down his son, and he missed Brady sorely. He called Brady nearly every day, and made a point to see him as often as was possible without smothering the younger man. But he still held out hope that Marlena and Brady would patch things up.

Belle felt like her family was now officially shredded. Brady was not her only sibling, she had two other siblings from her mother's first marriage. She loved Sami and Eric very much but she had never lived with either of them and was used to not seeing them every day. With Brady gone, the house was too quiet for her and suddenly she was having no fun living there. She still talked with Brady often, and had even gone to lunch with him a few times, but she was resigned to the fact that eventually her relationship with him would be the same as with her other siblings.

So when Brady invited her to come over to his apartment that Saturday night for a movie and popcorn, Belle was naturally ecstatic. Maybe Brady could live away from home and still sustain the same relationship with her. Maybe things did not have to change as drastically as she thought they did.

"Hey invite Shawn to come over too," he said when he invited her. "He's a cool guy." There was a knowing tone in his voice that Belle couldn't help but smile at it.

"Just don't become big-brotherly on me," she warned.

"What's to become big-brotherly about?" Brady asked innocently. "So what if I want to spend some time with my cousin?"

She'd let him off the hook with that, but without knowing it he had reminded her of the very reason she kept herself at bay from Shawn Brady. Shawn was Brady's cousin, and was in fact Sami and Eric's cousin, too. Pure luck had kept Shawn and Belle from being related to each other. They were so close to being related, and just barely weren't. It felt a little awkward to her.

Nevertheless, when she saw him sitting at a table with their friends Philip and Chloe at the Brady Pub that Thursday afternoon, she couldn't repress a smile. There was always something about Shawn that made her heart melt right there in her ribcage. It wasn't his dimples, she thought, because it still happened when he wasn't smiling. She wasn't quite sure what it was. She just wished he felt the same.

"Get a room," Belle said to Philip and Chloe as she sat down at their table. The couple, as usual, were lip-locked and sometimes Belle wished they would get a grip.

"Hey Belle," Philip greeted as he pulled away from Chloe, his face slightly red. "How's it goin'?" She just gave him a knowing smile before he and Shawn started talking.

"Belle, come with me to the bar for a shake," Chloe said, and the two girls went up to the bar. After ordering their shakes, Chloe flashed a smile to the blonde.

"What?"

"Don't give me that look. I saw how you were looking at Shawn," Chloe replied.

"I'm surprised you saw anything," Belle retorted light-heartedly. Chloe smacked her shoulder playfully. "I'm only half-kidding you know. You two were seriously… not in tune with the rest of the world, shall we put it."

Chloe shrugged. "He makes me feel… really good. I think I'm in love with him, Belle. I feel warm inside whenever I just think about him. He's the first person who has ever really made me feel… special."

"You deserve that, Chloe. I'm glad you found it."

"You deserve it too, Belle, and I know just where you can find it."

Belle shot Chloe a look. "Chloe, don't start with me again. Nothing is going to happen between me and Shawn. Look at him. He doesn't exactly look interested does he?"

"Um, Belle. Shawn is talking to Philip right now. Of course he doesn't look interested in a romantic relationship."

The two burst out laughing. "Okay, you're right about that much. But I mean it, I don't think he is interested in hooking up with a girl right now. Or at least, not with me. Nothing is going to happen." That did not mean she didn't want it to, she thought to herself.

As Chloe and Philip started talking about their plans for Friday night, Belle was reminded that she was supposed to invite Shawn over to Brady's on Saturday night. "Oh! That reminds me! I'm going to Brady's house on Saturday to watch some movies, and hang out. He said to invite you, wanna come?"

Shawn looked surprised. He and Brady didn't dislike each other, and they were cousins, but they had never spent much time together and Belle knew Shawn wasn't expecting an invitation to come hang out at his new apartment. "Um, sure, that'd be cool. I'll need to get directions, though, since I haven't been there."

"No problem. Just call me on my cell phone before you leave."

"Great."

Belle grinned. She knew why Brady was inviting Shawn over, even though she was convinced that was only partly a reason. She knew Brady wanted to get to know his other family members better, especially now that he didn't live with his father and sister anymore. Belle wanted that for Brady, too, and she hoped that Shawn and Brady would become more than just acquaintances and actually be friends with each other. This Saturday night would be perfect. 

****

"Hey buddy!! How's it going?" Shawn greeted his baby brother as he entered the kitchen of their parents house. Hope, their mother, smiled at her oldest son before turning back to JT.

"Maybe you can get him to eat, he's refusing me right now," she told Shawn as she tried half-heartedly to get JT to eat a spoonful of the turkey baby food.

"Well of course he doesn't want it, do you bud? Because everyone knows that the turkey baby food is disgusting, isn't it?" JT laughed at his brother's tone as Shawn took the spoon from Hope. "I'll get him to eat something. What's for dinner?"

"Your dad's making steak when he gets home from work," Hope replied, heading to the refrigerator and pulling out the pitcher of orange juice. "Would you like some orange juice?" she asked as Shawn headed to a cabinet to get a jar of the carrot baby food.

"Sure, sounds great." He sat down in the seat where Hope had been, dipping the baby spoon into the new food and putting into JT's mouth. Lucky for him, JT seemed to like the carrot baby food much better than the turkey baby food.

"You always know what he likes and what he doesn't," Hope said, amazed. Shawn just gave his brother a grin, and JT grinned back. Hope admired the site of her two sons before her.

"So, uh, Brady is all moved into his new apartment and he invited Belle and me to his house for a movie on Saturday night."

"Oh yeah? Well that should be fun. Belle is a sweet girl, you know."

Shawn chuckled. "Yes, Mom, I know." 

"So you wouldn't be interested in her in a way more than friends would you?" Hope asked in a teasing manner.

"Mom!" Shawn exclaimed, his face turning slightly pink.

"Fine! Fine, I won't ask anything more," Hope surrendered, knowing she had struck a chord. "Are you feeling a bit warm? Should I open a window? Because your face is rather pink." Shawn gave her a glare but couldn't keep the smile off his face.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

When Shawn arrived at Brady's apartment on Saturday night, Belle had already been there for a couple hours, having come over to early to eat dinner with older brother. It was the first time since Brady moved out that the two had quality time together. They spent the two hours talking about everything that was going on in their lives, but both avoided the subject of Marlena.

Shawn was immediately given the official tour of Brady's apartment. The apartment was pretty large for one person—three people could comfortably walk around the kitchen and not be in each other's way, the bedroom had a walk-in closet, and the living room was big enough for the black couch, the oak end table, a coffee table, a bookshelf, and the entertainment center that held the flat-screen tv, the x-box, the DVD player and the VCR. If Shawn didn't already know that Brady was paying his own way, he would have thought John was paying for the apartment.

Maybe I should work for John, he thought.

"So which movies are on the agenda?" he asked as Brady went into the kitched, adjacent to the living room, to grab sodas for the three of them.

"Star Wars," Brady called back, his head stuck in the refrigerator. "I hope that's okay with you, we kinda forgot to check with you."

"The original?"

"Of course. Best trilogy ever made."

"No doubt. The newer movies aren't nearly as good," Shawn agreed.

"Do you have anything to eat while we watch the movies?" Belle cut in.

"Belle, we just ate," Brady replied a bit incredulously as he handed a Dr. Pepper to Shawn.

"Oh come on, like you aren't hungry," she countered, knowing that her big brother was always hungry.

"That's different. I'm a man. Males are hungry by nature."

"It's true, Belle," Shawn backed up his cousin. "My grandpa always finishes my grandma's meals, and Sami's and he used to finish Carrie's all the time, too."

Belle put up her hands in mock resignation. "I don't deny your rights to be hungry, being the male you are, but being female, I reserve the right to become hungry whenever I feel like it." She gave the two a Cheshire grin and took her soda from her brother.

"If you say so," Brady chuckled. "I'll make some popcorn. Put in the first movie and fast forward the previews, would you?"

"Yes, sir." Belle pulled out Episode IV: A New Hope, and put it in the VCR. "You know I never saw Star Wars until they re-released it with the new special effects."

"Are you serious?" Shawn asked, shocked. "Man I grew up watching Star Wars. I don't know how you lived."

"She was never remotely interested until Dad and I dragged her to the movie theater. We'd been trying to get her to watch for years. She came out of Episode IV dying to see The Empire Strikes Back," Brady explained as he put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

Belle hit pause on the remote because the previews were over. "Hurry up with the popcorn already."

"Patience is a virtue, Belle," Brady lectured with a teasing glint in his eye. "You can't hurry time."

Belle glared at him lightheartedly and turned to Shawn. "Can you stay long enough to watch all three movies?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. My parents will be in bed by eleven so they won't even notice when I get home."

"Awesome," Belle replied with a grin. The microwave beeped to signal that it was done and Brady pulled it out and dumped the popcorn in a bowl. Belle pushed play on the VCR-remote control, scooting over a bit closer to Shawn to make room for Brady on the couch. To her bemusement, her brother came over in started to sit down on her, forcing her to scoot over so that she could be in the middle, right between her and Shawn.

He glanced over at her and grinned, clearly amused with himself. She just shook her head as the Star Wars music began.

When "The Return of the Jedi" was over, the popcorn was long gone, five empty cans of soda sat on the coffee table, and Brady was asleep on the floor. Belle still sat on her end of the couch, feeling to uncomfortable to move closer to Shawn, who had been watching the movies intently. As the end credits rolled, she reached over to the remote and stopped the tape and then turned the TV off.

"Should we leave him there?" she asked, staring down at her brother with a smirk on her face.

Shawn grinned. "We should. He might punch me if I wake him up."

"I should really be getting home. If I stay overnight my mom will freak," Belle said with no hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yeah my parents wouldn't be too happy with me if I didn't come home either," Shawn agreed. "Should we lock up and go? I'll walk you home."

"Sure, that'd be great."

The two picked up the empty bowl and the soda cans and then made sure the windows were all locked. Belle locked the apartment door on her way out, stealing one last amused look at her brother.

Because it was a spring night, the air was slightly chilly but not terrible. The two walked in comfortable but tired silence towards the Penthouse building. There were no clouds in the sky and the moon was full. Shawn admired the constellations as they walked. Few cars traveled by on the street next to them.

"Thanks for inviting me," Shawn said randomly as they headed down a well-lit alley near Salem Place. "I had a lot of fun."

"We should do it again sometime. Philip has a home-theater at his place, maybe we could all have a movie night and just stay over when summer comes."

"That'd be cool," he agreed. "He suggested doing something like that, since he also has a pool in his backyard. He's so lucky to be born into such a rich family."

"You were born into the same family," Belle reminded him. He looked at her. "I mean, I know your dad was adopted by your grandpa, but Victor is your grandpa too. He gets just as protective over you as he does with Philip. You could definitely take advantage if you wanted to."

"I guess so," Shawn murmured. "That would be so weird. It's a touchy subject with my grandpa, I think he would feel betrayed or something if I started thinking of the Kiriakis' as my family. I mean that would be weird in itself, Philip is my best friend, and he's my uncle. How weird that I'm four months older than him. Nah, I'm a Brady, Belle, not a Kiriakis."

The two fell silent again, not even noticing as they went further down the alley that the lighting was getting sparser. They were both shaken out of their thoughts, however, when a loud crash made them both jump.

"What was that?" Belle whispered, her heart in her throat, as she clutched Shawn's sleeve tightly.

"I don't know," he whispered back. "Probably just a cat or something. Is it just me or is it darker here?"

"Not just you," she replied, fear in her tone. "Why did we think it would be safe to walk home so late?"

"It's not much farther to your place, come on."

A deep, calm voice in low tones filled the air, halting the teenagers in their step. They turned their heads towards the sound of the voice, and at the far end of the alley they could see two men talking to each other, their voices barely reaching the ears of the two who had accidentally come upon them. Shawn pulled Belle quietly behind two empty trash cans.

"You won't have time to go to the police," the first man said, his voice chilling.

"You can't kill me," the second man protested in a voice significantly higher than the other mans. "You need me." There was fear behind his tone.

"You have become too great a danger for me. You have shown that you cannot be trusted."

"But—"

"As of now, no one can connect me to you, and I do not trust that that will not change."

An object in the first man's hands flashed in the dark and Shawn caught his breath at the sight of it. "He has a gun," he whispered to Belle as quietly as he could. He appeared to her to be a bit too calm about this but in fact his heart was beating so fast he thought it might pound right out of his chest and kill him.

"Please, I beg you not to do this…"

"You made this decision for me when you betrayed me. You knew what the consequences would be." Before a single more word was uttered, the gun went off.

Shawn and Belle both jumped at the sound; Belle turned her head into Shawn's shoulder as the second man slumped lifelessly to the floor. Shawn cringed, bending over slightly as he remembered when he got shot. He stared wide-eyed at the single form many yards away from him, standing over his victim without remorse. He turned, his eyes sweeping through the alley as if looking for witnesses. His eyes halted near the trash cans; Shawn quit breathing, hoping the killer hadn't just spotted him and Belle, who moved an inch since burying her head into Shawn's shoulder. After a long, terrifying moment, the man turned away and walked out of the alley and disappeared into the main streets.

The two sat behind the trash cans for a few minutes longer before moving. Shawn stood up first, gently pulling Belle to her feet. His hands were trembling as she rose to her feet. Both shaken, they looked at each other through the darkness. 

"We need to call the police," he told her. She nodded, her shaking hands going immediately to her purse to pull out her cell phone. The two walked back to a street light in the alley to see the light. As Belle dialed, she sniffed and Shawn could see that her eyes were red. At this moment he honestly felt like he could cry as well.

Another gunshot rang out, at the end of the alley where the killer had gone. Again both teenagers jumped and Belle screamed, dropping her cell phone. The man stood at the end of the alley, staring at them both. Belle bent down to get her cell phone and she had just barely grabbed it when Shawn pulled on her arm, breaking into a run back down the alley where they had come from.

**TBC**

**Please review! Thanks.**


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